Nov. 9, igoi.l 
FOREST AND STREAM, 
869 
district, which when opened was found to contain a 
full-sized chipmunk. My Boston friend's cigar dropped 
out of his mouth and he looked over at our New York 
friend and asked him if he had ever heard before that 
our Canadian brook trout climbed trees? I had to ex- 
plain that the chipmunk was probably crossing the 
"stream squirrel fashion and was gobbled up en route 
by the trout, which was a perfectly natural thing to be 
done; but it was of no use. 
A few days after my return home I received a set of 
cartoons from my friends, a joint concoction, one of 
which represented a party of three friends, one of whom, 
an elderly man, was evidently relating a story of some 
kind, to which the others were eagerly listening. An- 
other one represented this elderly man fishing in a trout 
stream, and another represented the same old fisher- 
man on his way to the camp with an enormous pot- 
bellied fish hanging on a string by his side, and some 
miserable doggerel underneath these cartoons indicating 
that all fishermen, without exception, young or old, 
were simpl}^ liars. 
I kept these pictures for some time with my fishing 
records; but not long ago, looking over these "memos" 
of past years I came across them, and concluded it bet- 
ter that they should be destroyed, lest they should here- 
after fall into other hands and create a false impression 
as to my reputation. 
I was fishing in a salmon river in July last year, with 
some friends of mine, one of them manager of a large 
financial establishment in Toronto, a man of most un- 
doubted veracity in all ordinary affairs; and after we had 
all gathered in camp one night, had our supper, lighted 
our pipes and were relating our day's experiences, he 
told VLS of a salmon that had risen to his fly on his way 
down the rivei-, and of the size of that salmon's mouth, 
which he plainly saw, and which indicated that the 
salmon must have weighed at least 60 pounds; and to 
prove it he drew a rough sketch from memory on a 
large sheet of paper of the salmon's mouth. What bet- 
ter evidence could we have had of the size and weight 
of that salmon which got away? It is quite true that 
none of the salmon we caught (or, rather, killed) during 
our trip weighed over 21 or 22 pounds; but that is no 
evidence that there were not plenty of salmon in the 
river weighing 60 pounds or even more. My friend's 
flask was empt}' on his return to camp; but "that is an- 
other story." 
It is to be hoped that your article may give fisher- 
men fresh courage in relating their experiences when- 
ever so inclined, and that they will not be deterred, as 
they so often are, from giving full play to their imagina- 
tions — of course, only so far as they may consider the 
facts will warrent. 
As a humble member of the gentle craft, I feel deeply 
grateful for your vindication of our reputation for 
veracity, more especially as it is the first instance on 
record that I am aware of. D. W. 
In Tennessee Hills. 
Jamkson, Tenn., Oct. 12. — Editor Forest and Stream: 
Last spring my friend, Walter Hadley, and I planned a 
fishing trip for two weeks. We finally got started on 
May 30. Now, I live where the hills and valley meet, 
and facing toward the east one beholds as beautiful a 
stretch of country, perhaps, as there is in the wide world. 
On the v/est the hills roll back for many miles, and 
among these hills .are beautiful trout streams, running 
cold and clear on their way to join the larger waters of 
Duck River. So among these hills is where we- meant 
to fish. Walter lives a mile' down the valley, and in 
order to get an early and even start he came up and 
spent the night with me. That night we packed the 
bundles. The cook was up early the next morning, and 
by daylight our breakfast was eaten, the little chestnut 
mare Kate was hooked to a light wagon, and just as the 
sun was rising we turned her head up hill and were off. 
Our friends had guyed us, and said we would catch 
nothing; but we replied that we meant to enjoy the 
trip from the very moment we left home, and we did. 
We entered the woods at once, and these were beautiful 
with the fresh, full growth of sweet springtime. The 
trees were full of fluttering, flying, singing birds, and 
wild flowers grew in great profusion by the roadside. 
We expected to see squirrels jumping, so carried a light 
shotgun, with which we popped and banged along the 
way. 
The day had dawned beautifully bright and warm, but 
by 10 o'clock rain was falling. Anticipating this, we 
had carried our gum coats, which gave perfect protec- 
tion fi'om the weather. We rather enjoyed the rain. 
Its soft patter among the leaves was like innumerable 
voices murmuring, "Fish are biting." 
We were nearing the end of our. journey, however. 
The trappy-gaited mare had carried us along rapidly 
and we soon drew up in front of the home of Col. Warf. 
to whom we had been directed. The place and the people 
v.'ere strangers to us, but we made friends readily, and 
were soon comfortably located. 
We rigged up at once and started for the creek. There 
is a dam at this point, and it is so fixed between the 
hills that the water backs up a long distance and spreads 
out something like a lake. There are small islands," 
clumps of willows and great weed beds, and it is an 
ideal home for the trout. I was ready first, and made 
tlic first cast. There was instantly a tugging at the end 
of my line. The reel whizzed, and a 14-inch trout broke 
the water 20 yards away. 
After a brief struggle this one was landed and proved 
to be a beauty. It was my purpose, to put him on a 
string, but before doing so I baited my hook and dropped 
it back into the water. Before I could get the first one 
strung there was a great splashing under the bank, and 
I had hooked another. This also was landed and was a 
nice one. I was almost beside myself and tried to shout, 
but had left home with a cold and hoarseness which was 
not improving in the heavy weather. 
I told Walter if I did not catch another ! woifld feel 
well repaid for my trip over. After that they did not 
bite so i^apidly; but we continued to pick up one from 
time to time until we had a nice string of them. Our 
catch consisted almost entirely of trout, though Walter 
caught two black perch that were beauties. One of these 
he caught while fishing from a blwff, and though he wag 
using a light bamboo rod he lifted it bodily from the 
water. As he did so I made a snapshot picture, which 
I inclose, and in which you may catch a glimpse of 
some beautiful Tennessee scenery. 
Col. Warf is himself a fisherman, and said he was 
going to fish against us for numbers; so with a can of 
red worms he fished for perch. . 
• One afternoon, when I was tired of climbing the bluffs 
and tramping up and down stream, I went and sat beside 
him on a log, one end of which lay out in deep water. 
He has quite a fund of anecdotes, and while he told one 
story after another, and chuckled all the while, he pulled 
twenty perch out from under that log. 
We fished two days, and before starting for home I 
gathered a great armful of flowers and ferns from the 
blufi's and banks of the creek. 
That night at home I placed them in spring water, and 
the next morning sent them to my sweetheart. This 
sweet girl dearly loved flowers, but the sad part is yet to 
be told. She made one of our camping party in August. 
Soon after her return home she was taken quite ill, and 
when the autumn flowers began to fall she died. 
But I have just returned from another trip to Col. 
Warf's. This time Walter could not leave his business, 
so I went alone. I carried on this trip a light boat. With 
the boat I could get out to the clumps of willows and 
beds of weeds. But the scene is changed now. The 
woods are no longer fresh and green, and the birds do 
not sing so joyously as they did. 
I found the Colonel and his good wife at home. They 
were making sorghum, and were busy; but he found 
time to go fishing with me. I spent a couple of days 
most delightfully, and caught a splendid string of trout. 
Thus ended pleasantly another trip to the hills. 
Ed Babb. 
Lake Hamlin. 
Chicago, III. — Editor Forest and Stream: Returning 
from my usual fishing trip at Hamlin Lake, I dropped 
ofl^ at Ludington. Mich., to see my old friend, George 
Ackersville, who bears the enviable reputation of being 
the best sportsman on the lower peninsula of that State. 
As usual, George had plenty' of good news for me, having 
located a number of places where, as he says, quail will 
be thicker than fleas on a tramp dog this fall. But the 
best information he had to impart was the return of wild 
pigeons to Michigan. If anybody knows a wild pigeon 
when he sees one, Ackersville does; and it can hardly be 
possible that he is mistaken in this matter. I was in- 
credulous, however; but he declared he saw them himself 
— three flocks of them — and was not relying on anybody 
else's say so. Not only does his description of the birds 
he saw tally with the old-time wild pigeon, but he will 
endeavor to secure from the clerk of Mason county a 
license to shoot a couple of the birds for scientific pur- 
poses, and if successful wfll ship them to Forest and 
Stream, so that you may pass judgment on them your- 
self. Wild pigeons, if any exist in Michigan, are pro- 
tected until 1910, but Ackersville thinks he will have no 
trouble in securing the necessary permission in order to 
establish his claim. 
Fishing at Hamlin Lake was better this year than I 
have ever seen it before, but the season was backward, 
the bloom from the lilies remaining in the water a great 
deal later than usual. More muskellunge were taken 
from the lake this season than in any two years previous, 
but few of them tipped the scales over 15 pounds. The 
run of bass was greater than usual, small and big 
mouthed varieties taking frogs with a voracity heretofore 
unknown in these waters. Several big fellows were 
taken, one that I saw, caught by Dick Steffens, the 
photographer, tipping the scales at 6% pounds. 
Hamlin Lake is fast becoming too prominent as a fish- 
ing resort, and I am afraid it will only be a matter of a 
few years when there will be more fishermen than fish in 
that neighborhood. For a great many years, however, 
a few Chicagoans have had a monopoly of the sport at 
Hamlin, and I guess it is only fair that the rest should 
come along now and have their share of the fun. 
William P. Cornell. 
An Owl with a Penchant for Law. 
The Indian summer days are upon us, and if any- 
where in this broad land the Minnesota Indian sum- 
mer can be excelled I would like to know where, with 
their dryness of air, with just a touch of chill to it when 
you get in the shade, but when out in the bright, clear 
sun like one continuous . draught of champagne- 
exhilarating, but not intoxicating. 
We are working in our shirtsleeves alongside of open 
windows, and through one of these windows, left open 
and belonging to a prominent lawyer's office in town, 
did a small brown owl (genus unknown) fly in during 
the night. 
When the office was opened in the morning high up 
on the uppermost shelf of the bookcase perched the owl. 
His gaze was so fixed and his pose so steady that 
without exception the clients pronounced him a most 
natural example of taxidermy. Only at very long in- 
tervals did he blink, which convinced the onlookers, 
against their wills, that he was a live, instead of a 
stuffed, bird. During the livelong day he kept his 
perch, and save for an occasional blink or a slight 
ruffling of his feathers, he remained absolutely motion- 
less. 
When the shades of evening began to fall it was de- 
cided to give him his liberty, and after much poking 
and shooing he was finally corralled in a waste-paper 
basket, and in due course deposited on the window sill, 
when he instantly made himself scarce. 
Yesterday morning I took advantage of a perfect day, 
and with a friend went on the cars twenty miles down the 
Mississippi River to a small riverside hamlet called 
Prescott to try the small-mouthed bass, large catches of 
which had recently been made at this point. The river 
is narroAV here, but deep in spots, and where the piling 
is driveij do the large bass lurk. Then there were the 
wing dams, ledges of broken stone leading out from the 
shore into the river to direct the current over one and 
the same route from nionth to month and year to year. 
For minnows to do any migrating they must pass around 
the corn^j-g gf the?? 'W^ing dams 5 and how well the bass 
know it! When the bass are taking a fly one can always 
get good fishing at these wing dams. At this time of the 
year minnow casting is the proper way to take them. 
One can go above the dams and allow the minnow to 
gently float down until it strikes the swirl at the end of 
the dam, when instantly something happens to which 
the singing of the reel usually adds interest. 
These dams are very close together at this point, and 
one after another in sticcession can be easily fished in 
rotation. 
The fishing was good, and the bass fully kept up their 
reputation for life and pugnacity. Lost hooks now and 
then and once a broken line satisfied us, as usual, that 
the largest and heaviest fish remained uncaught. 
We enjoyed every minute of the outing, the warm, 
October sun tempering the otherwise sharp breeze to the 
temperature of a spring zephyr. 
The river was alive with lumber rafts and steamboats. 
Logs in great rafts were being rushed down the river to 
the saw mills lower down. It was quite interesting to 
see the steamers guide these great and unwieldy aggre- 
gations of logs through between the bridge piers without 
an inch to spare. It seemed as if the great raft's width 
had been measured with a pair of calipers. 
Withal, it was a delightful day, just such a one as 
many of my readers have spent on the sunny Connecti- 
cut sidehills, among the scattered birches, with the 
woodcock. But instead of dog and gun, we plied our 
rods, and enjoyed the fishing in the sunshine. 
When Sept. i comes in the country a man instinctively 
drops his fishing rod and grabs his gun; but fishing is 
not by any means over on Sept. i. The bass and mus- 
callonge are then at their best, even if the former may 
prefer minnows to flies. " They are full of fight; more so 
than during the spring and midsummer. 
One thing impressed me yesterday, and that was the 
fact that we were never away from the village more than 
a few minutes 'rowing; in fact our guide asserted that 
when the fish were eagerly taking the bait he could 
easily fish the adjacent wing dams and be back to the 
landing with a dozen fine bass all within a single hour's 
time. 
The fishing yesterday was- so close at hand and easily 
obtained that it savored of a bass preserve at one's back 
door. .'\nd 3^et there are hundreds of our boys who will 
spend two or three hours on the cars and will fish lakes 
where big-mouthed bass and pickerel alone can be had, 
and where the water is warm and the fish are lazy, and 
overlook this small-mouthed bass fishing in the Missis- 
sippi River at their very doors. 
I started in to tell about a wayward owl that flew 
into the clutches of the law, and 1 have wandered ofif 
about small-mouthed bass fishing at Prescott on the 
Mississippi River. Charles Cristadoro. 
Nets and Game Fish. 
Watertown, N. Y.— Editor Forest and Stream: Speak- 
ing of experiments, in 1898 a bill was introduced by 
Senator Brown, which at the time was opposed by the. 
anglers, and the Senator and myself were accused of 
being in league with the net fisherman. My arguments 
for the bill and personal pleadings with the anglers 
secured their consent to a trial, and the bill was passed. 
The bill became a law, and the result is that we have the 
best small mouth black bass fishing in the State, and it 
is getting better each year. On the St. Lawrence River, 
where no netting is allowed, the fishing is getting poorer 
each year. 
Parties drive from Clayton to Chaumont Bay to enjoy 
our splendid bass fishing or go into Canadian waters. 
It seems very strange to me that the Anglers' Associa- 
tion of the St. Lawrence River should should be so blind 
to their own interests as to permit that grand river to fill 
ivp with fish that the angler does not want or cannot 
catch with a hook and line. 
In the early period of my life I lived for twelve years 
at Clayton. At that time the river was full of black 
bass and muscallon.ge; now it^is full of pickerel, perch, 
bull heads, eels, catfish, sturgeon, rock bass and sunfish, 
but the black bass and musczdlonge are conspicuous by 
their absence. This is not a theory but cold fact, very 
easily proven by a few days' fishing at Clayton and at any 
point in Chaumont Bay. I inclose a copy of the law that 
has made Chaumont Bv.y the best black bass waters in 
the State: 
Sec. 74. Nets in Chautiiont Bay and Adjacent Waters. — ^The 
waters and bays of Lake Ontario, in the county of Jefferson, within 
one mile of the shore, between Plorsc Island, in the town of 
ITcunsficld, and the town line between the towns of Lyme and 
Cape Vincent, except tlie waters within one mile of Stony Island 
or of the Galloup Islands, arc so- far excepted from the provisions 
of this act as to permit the taking of fish by nets therein from 
Oct. 1 to April 30: Provided, That a net shall not be set until 
license therefor has been granted by the Commission. The Com- 
mission shall, on the execution of a satisfactory bond, conditioned 
for the payment to the people of the State of the sum of one hun- 
dred dollars if the holder of the license shall violate any of the 
provisions of this section as to black bass or muskallonge while 
the license is in force, grant such a license unless the applicant 
has been convicted of violating this section or his bond adjudged 
forfeited. The license fee shall be one dollar for a net, and a 
sin.gle license may be for five nets. All black bass and muskal- 
Icnge caught in nets set pursuant to thjs section shall be imme- 
diately rettirned to the water alive, and without unnecessary injury. 
And here is the law that has made the St. Lawrence 
River the poorest: 
Sec. 317. Fishing by Certain Devices Prohibited. — No fish shall 
be fished for, caught or killed in any manner or by any device 
except angling in the waters of the Thousand Islands, except that 
it shall be lawful to take minnows for bait in the manner provided 
for by Sec. 145 of this act; Provided, howevei-, That if any black 
bass, pickerel, pike, wall-eyed pike or maskinonge are taken in 
such nets they shall be immediately returned to the waters alive. 
Whoever shall violate or attempt to violate the provisions of this 
section shall be deemed guilty of misdemeanor, and in addition 
thereto shall be'liable to a penalty of $100 for each violation thereof. 
I have been asked by a .great many of the sportsmen 
who have cottages on tlie river to secure the same law 
for the river that we have for Chaumont Bay; but I have 
been very reluctant to make any sitch eft'ort in opposition 
to the Anglers' Association, hoping each year that they 
would see their misSeke and correct it. 
However, if nothing is done by them the coming 
winter I shall make an effort next year to secure a law 
that will (inside of three years) res;tcre to the grand old 
St. Lawrence the magnificent black bass and muscallonge 
fishing for which this river was -Qiice so famous. 
W, H, TAI.LETT. 
